Employees of V.I. nonprofits that receive 75 percent or more of their money from the federal or local government can participate in the V.I. Government’s group health insurance plan if they submit the right forms and documents by July 11.
This slight expansion of access to the government’s private health insurance plan came about as a result of the 2004 act of the Legislature, according to Maureen Venzen, chief of group health insurance with the Division of Personnel. That year, a bill sponsored by then Sen. David Jones transferred operation of the St. Thomas End Family Health Center and the Frederiksted Health Center/Ingeborg Nesbitt Clinic to the St. Thomas East End Medical Center corporation and the Frederiksted Health Care, Inc. respectively.
Transferring control of those government clinics to private nonprofit organizations enabled them to receive Community Health Center Grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Allowing government-funded nonprofits to stay within the government insurance umbrella was meant in part to ensure the former government employees of those two institutions were able to keep their health insurance. But other nonprofits are eligible to be in the plan, too.
"I would anticipate the change will probably affect 50 to 100 persons," Venzen said.
The V.I. Health Insurance Board of Trustees has now promulgated rules and regulations under which eligible nonprofits can participate, according to a statement from the V.I. Division of Personnel. Eligible groups intending to participate in the government’s health insurance plan must submit the information and documentation required under the newly promulgated rules to the Office of Group Insurance, Division of Personnel.
Copies of the new regulations may be obtained from the Division of Personnel website at www.dopusvi.org.
